Misfit City #1 ComicWow! Review

In a tribute to The Goonies, Misfit City is set in Cannon Cove, Oregon (filming location for a movie called The Gloomies—named after the foggy, near-depressing lives of the locals) and follows a group of friends as they take on an adventure to look for treasure! When a local Captain dies, he leaves his belongings to the local museum. In it is a map. Initially, Macy (who works at the museum) doesn’t care. But when someone tries to steal the map, she knows it’s legit. So, she and Wilder (her bff who wanted to search for the treasure in the first place) decide to go chasing after the wealth!

The characterization in this issue is incredible. Already we can tell what kinds of people this group of friends is full off. Macy is in a band and doesn’t really care about much else, Wilder is interested in protecting the cove and overall environment, and their friends consist of a hippie, a dog, and more! This is going to be a great adventure, much like The Goonies.

Smith and Lustgarten’s writing is smooth and natural, with realistic dialogue between characters that pushes the story forward at a comfortable pace. These friends talk really informally, and honestly remind me of a lot of my own friends. They spend their free time playing poker and having some down time, and that’s about it. Life isn’t all too exciting in Cannon Cove (except to the tourists), but they still know how to have their own fun. Little do they know the scale of which their newest adventure is bringing in fun. It’ll be interesting to see how the journey goes.

Naomi Franquiz’s illustrations are very expressive. BOOM! Studios puts out a lot of artwork that looks this animated, which allows artists to add a lot of emotion to the characters. Because it’s not too realistic, hyperbolic facial expressions and movements are acceptable and look great. There is also a variety of panel shapes, which keeps the eye busy as the story progresses.

This is a great issue and the start to one hell of an adventure. With a solid nod to a classic film, Misfit City #1 sets up a journey that you don’t want to miss out on.

Huck is ComicWow!'s editorial assistant and production assistant. He has a love for comic books on a cosmic scale and a growing knowledge of the industry. A Towson University alumnus, he brings with him a passion for writing, grammar, production, and other dorky stuff. He is a true nerd, and he embraces it.